Southern California winds topple trees, power lines

A Los Angeles Department of Transportation worker tends to a fallen traffic light that was blown down by heavy winds in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. A brief but powerful round of Santa Ana winds with gusts topping 60 mph toppled trees and power lines in Los Angeles. About 9,000 customers were without electricity in the San Fernando Valley Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Visitors to the Sepulveda Basin Dog Park look at fallen a tree that was blown down by heavy winds in the Encino section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. A brief but powerful round of Santa Ana winds with gusts topping 60 mph toppled trees and power lines in Los Angeles. About 9,000 customers were without electricity in the San Fernando Valley Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A Los Angeles Department of Transportation worker tends to a fallen traffic light that was blown down by heavy winds in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. A brief but powerful round of Santa Ana winds with gusts topping 60 mph toppled trees and power lines in Los Angeles. About 9,000 customers were without electricity in the San Fernando Valley Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Huge surf crashes over a jetty at El Segundo, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. The National Weather Service said a long-period westerly swell created the high surf along exposed west- and northwest-facing beaches. The service warned of dangerous rip currents at affected beaches. A brief but powerful round of Santa Ana winds with gusts topping 60 mph toppled trees and power lines in Southern California. A Department of Water and Power dispatcher tells City News Service that several thousand customers are without electricity Saturday in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.(AP Photo/John Antczak)

Huge surf crashes ashore at El Segundo, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. The National Weather Service said a long-period westerly swell created the high surf along exposed west- and northwest-facing beaches. The service warned of dangerous rip currents at affected beaches. A brief but powerful round of Santa Ana winds with gusts topping 60 mph toppled trees and power lines in Southern California. A Department of Water and Power dispatcher tells City News Service that several thousand customers are without electricity Saturday in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles.(AP Photo/John Antczak)

A visitor to the Sepulveda Basin Dog Park checks out a tree that was blown down by heavy winds in the Encino section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. A brief but powerful round of Santa Ana winds with gusts topping 60 mph toppled trees and power lines in Los Angeles. About 9,000 customers were without electricity in the San Fernando Valley Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A Los Angeles Department of Transportation worker tends to a fallen traffic light that was blown down by heavy winds in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. A brief but powerful round of Santa Ana winds with gusts topping 60 mph toppled trees and power lines in Los Angeles. About 9,000 customers were without electricity in the San Fernando Valley Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said about 23,000 customers were without electricity in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. The winds downed a large billboard in Burbank, and knocked a large tree into the kitchen of a house in Van Nuys.

Scattered outages were also reported in Fontana and parts of San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles.

The National Weather Service says a gauge in the mountains near Julian in San Diego County registered a gust of 89 mph at 7:30 a.m.

The winds kicked up Friday night and were expected to die down later Saturday.

A high-pressure ridge caused record-breaking highs in several cities. Newport Beach had a high of 80 - one degree hotter than the 1990 record.

The Santa Anas are generated during cooler months when westward currents reach fierce speeds as they squeeze through Southern California mountain ranges, lowering humidity and making vegetation susceptible to fire.

Meanwhile, a high-surf advisory warning of up to 11-foot-high surf was in effect through Sunday. Authorities said the winds blew two kayakers out to sea off the coast of Malibu. Los Angeles County Fire Department lifeguards launched a search for the missing kayakers around noon Saturday, and helped them paddle back to shore about an hour later.